Top Japanese paper calls for Olympics cancellation

A top Japanese paper has called for the cancellation of the Olympics only two months before the games are set to begin.

Asahi Shimbun, whose morning edition reaches over 5 million people and is an official Olympic partner, called for the games to be canceled in an editorial on Tuesday, The Guardian reported.

The editorial addressed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and told him “to calmly and objectively assess the situation and decide on the cancellation of the event this summer.”

Olympic and Japanese officials have insisted the Olympics will be held regardless of the pandemic situation in the country, a decision the paper also criticized.

Asahi Shimbun continued by pointing to widespread criticism of the games, especially in Japan.

The Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association, a group of top Japanese doctors, called on the prime minister to cancel the games last week.

A petition of over 350,000 signatures calling for the Olympics to be canceled was submitted to Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike.

Japan has had over 720,000 reported coronavirus cases and over 12,000 deaths.

Tokyo and surrounding prefectures are still under a state of emergency due to the coronavirus, and the country has been burdened with a slow vaccine rollout.

The U.S. has advised Americans not to go to Japan due to the current outbreak.